Just Another Day
by Mcfergeson
Summary: Chloe Sullivan wakes up one morning to spend just another day keeping an eye on Lex Luthor and his evil schemes. At least, that was the plan...much to Chloe's surprise, things don't exactly work out that way. This story is for fans of Chloe Sullivan.
1. Chapter 1

_A few years ago, I dated a woman who was a major fan of Smallville. Being an old-school superhero fan, I never really watched this series--until I started watching it with her. I must admit it was a great deal of fun. I also found myself falling madly in love with Chloe Sullivan, who was performed with great charm by Allison Mack._

_I liked the character so much that I made Chloe--along with Lana Lang--a guest star in Batman & Benson 3. But when that story was finished, I found myself missing Chloe terribly (does this make me sound really strange? Oh well...welcome to my life). And so, I came up with the idea of having Chloe star in her own adventure. Olivia Benson does not appear in this story--but it does take place after the events of B&B 3. It fits into the very same B&B universe, which seems to be growing larger by the day. _

**The Adventures of Chloe Sullivan**

**"Just Another Day...."**

**Chapter One**

Chloe Sullivan awoke that morning to the sound of ringing--yet it wasn't her alarm clock. As she rolled over in bed and stared bleary-eyed at her nightstand, Chloe was annoyed to see that she still had ten more minutes before the alarm sounded. And the ringing actually came from her phone.

Grumbling under her breath, she answered it. "Hello?"

"Chloe, I think I got another lead on that mysterious power surge," Lana Lang said on the other end. She sounded _way_ too perky for this ungodly hour of the day. "How soon can you come over?"

"Lana? It's seven in the morning--no, wait, it's not even quite seven yet! You think you could at _least_ wait until I'm fully awake?"

"Go wake up and then come over," Lana excitedly told her. "But hurry!"

When Chloe hung up the phone, the alarm clock radio abruptly came to life as the voice of a local radio DJ screamed: "Good morning, Metropolis! It's seven o'clock! If you're still in bed, get up! What are you sleepyheads still doing under the covers on this glorious--"

He was cut off when a grumpy Chloe reached out and switched off the radio. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…shut up…."

Chloe finally woke up while standing under the shower, which she had turned slightly colder than usual to freeze out the sleepiness. Once she was done, she dressed and got ready. Breakfast was just a quick cup of yogurt--she didn't want anything too big today--and she was out the door.

Chloe decided to leave her car in the parking garage and took the monorail instead. The station was conveniently located just below her on the ground floor of her building--with the rail line running through the bottom floor of Lana's condominium building as well. As she sat in the monorail car, staring out at the sunny views of the ultra modern buildings of Metropolis, Chloe reflected on the latest crisis that she and Lana were dealing with in this fabled city, the largest in the state of Kansas.

After the Starro fiasco in his super-secretive Warehouse 15 facility--which had been located on the outskirts of the city--Lex Luthor had been quietly moving elements of his research and development complex back within the Metropolis city limits. Lana and Chloe had been watching Luthor like a pair of hawks--specifically, they've been watching the movements of Mercy Graves, Luthor's right hand woman (as well as assassin, and all-around thug) for the past few days.

And Graves was a busy little bee, running all over Metropolis, getting stuff ready, supervising the movements of large trucks and equipment. It actually wasn't hard for Chloe and Lana not to notice all of this activity. On the surface, it just looked like business as usual for LexCorp, a major, legitimate corporation. But it's owner, Lex Luthor, was anything but a normal CEO. He had successfully used his business to hide various illegal activities in the past--with his latest pet project, the mutated starfish that became the mind-controlling Starro, coming very close to destroying the world.

'Thanks to Superman and the other superheroes, that crisis was stopped before it got any further out of hand,' Chloe thought with relief. 'And if anything good came out of the Starro fiasco, it was the formation of the Justice League.'

After a ride that lasted barely ten minutes, Chloe got out of the monorail once it arrived inside Lana's building. She took a few minutes to buy the latest edition of the Daily Planet at the newspaper stand section in the book shop at the monorail station, then took the elevator up to Lana's penthouse.

Using her key to enter Lana's home, Chloe found Lana just where she left her last night: hunched over the computer. Lana was clad in dark dress jeans with a similar color tank top--which was the exact same outfit that she wore when Chloe last saw her.

"Chloe!" she said excitedly. "I think we caught LexCorp performing another secret experiment last night!"

"Did you get to sleep?" Chloe asked, concerned.

"Um, I think I fell asleep here for a bit," Lana said, waving it off. "But you won't believe what I--"

Chloe grabbed hold of the office chair that Lana was in and leaned over her. Lana looked like hell; her eyes were bloodshot and her breath smelled of stale coffee. "Lana, you didn't get to bed at _all_ last night, did you?"

"How could I sleep now, Chloe? When we're so close?"

"Close to what?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Lana gestured at the bank of computer screens on her large desk. "The Special Crimes Unit investigated a call about a strange noise on the docks. One of their helicopters picked up a brief energy signature--as if something was running--before it just disappeared. I did some checking into those abandoned warehouses on the docks, and guess who owns some of them?"

"Luthor," Chloe said. "Did the SCU check with him about this?"

Lana frowned. "I tried to speak with Inspector Turpin about this earlier, but he just gave me the brush off."

"Let me guess, he said it was police business," Chloe muttered in annoyance. She knew from bitter experience that trying to get information out of Inspector Dan Turpin was like trying to squeeze water from a rock with your bare hands. "I can always stop by the Daily Planet and see if Clark has uncovered anything. And, if he hasn't, maybe we can both look into this together."

Lana smiled. "See? I told you this was a good lead."

"Yes, it is, Lana," Chloe replied. "But you can't keep running yourself ragged like this."

"But what we're doing here is important, Chloe," Lana insisted. "Somebody has to keep a watchful eye on Lex and his dirty dealings--or else we'll wind up with another Starro, trying to destroy the world."

"I'm with you in this, Lana," Chloe told her. "I'm your partner through thick and thin. You know that. But even Clark takes some time off every now and then. You really need to just take a step back and give yourself a rest, ok?"

"Ok," Lana said with a nod.

Chloe watched her carefully. "You promise?"

"Scout's honor," Lana said. She handed her a sheet of paper. "Here's the address of the warehouse. Good luck with your investigation, and be careful!"

"I always am," Chloe said, as she left the penthouse.

Chloe caught the first monorail car that left Lana's building. Taking a seat, she glanced at her watch and saw that it was only eight o'clock. 'Clark might not be at work, yet.'

She picked up her cell phone and called him. He answered after the first ring. "Hello?"

"Clark, it's me," Chloe said. "You at work yet?"

"I'm running a little late today, Chloe," he said. "Had to help my neighbors with a problem."

Chloe nodded in understanding. Clark had just told her in code that he had just been out on a rescue mission as Superman. "It's about our mutual 'friend,'" she said, speaking in her own code that meant Lex Luthor. "I'm on my way over to see you, now."

"Ok. See you when I see you."

When she arrived at the Daily Planet stop, Chloe exited the monorail and went straight up to the main staff office. She knew the place well, having briefly worked here before being fired, thanks to Lionel Luthor. She supposed the firing--which had been completely unwarranted--was what started her on this current drive to keep watch on Luthor's shady dealings.

After the Starro incident, Chloe teamed up with Lana--who had been made independently wealthy, thanks to a hefty divorce settlement she received from Luthor, who unsuccessfully tried to have her killed, first. Together, they formed Lex Watch, which served as the unofficial name for their foundation--which was funded with Lana's millions--that kept a careful eye on all operations of LexCorp.

Chloe paused when she saw Clark standing by his desk. She let out a little sigh as she gazed at the perfect specimen that was Clark Kent. Chloe had been friends with Clark--and had carried a torch for the guy--since their high school days in Smallville, long before she found out about his secret powers, and before he had even assumed his Superman persona. And while knowing about Clark's other life as the Man Of Steel was exciting, Superman was just a part of Clark's life. For Chloe had always been, and always will be, deeply in love with Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet.

Chloe frowned when she got the uneasy feeling that she was being watched. When she abruptly glanced to her right, she saw Jimmy Olsen, who sat at his desk. He had his camera up to his face, aimed right at her, and when he saw that Chloe noticed him, he quickly dropped the camera and tried to look casual. "Hey, Chloe…."

Chloe stared at him suspiciously. "Were you just spying on me, Jimmy?"

"What? No! I-I was just…you know…checking out the camera, and, you were… you know…right there, and…."

"Ok, um, a word to the wise, Jimmy: what you were doing just now would be considered stalking," Chloe said, as she kept a stern mask over her features. She knew Jimmy was harmless; yet that didn't stop her from having some fun with him. "You might just want to consider that the next time to want to 'check' your camera on a woman without her knowledge, ok?"

She turned and left Jimmy with a mortified look on his face. But before she could even approach Clark, Chloe ducked behind a column in the vast office. Clark was seated at his desk, intently reading something in his hand--and while he did this, he absently chewed on a pencil. Chloe thought he looked so cute just now, and she couldn't help but steal a moment to hide so she could watch him.

Until she was startled by a sharp voice that said, "Chloe, what the hell are you doing?"

Chloe spun around and found herself face to face with Lois Lane, her cousin. She stood with her hands on her hips. "Are you stalking Clark?"

"What?!" Chloe cried, stunned. "No, I wasn't--"

"You're hiding behind a column, spying on Clark," Lois said, loud enough for the entire office to hear. "If that's not stalking, then I don't know what is!"

"Well, she _does_ constantly keep tabs Lex Luthor on a full time basis," Jimmy spoke up from his desk. "If that's not stalking behavior, then I don't know what is…."

"But stalking Lex Luthor is good, because he's evil!" Chloe blurted out. Then she placed her face in her hands. "Oh, God, what am I saying?"

"So you freely admit that you need help?" Lois asked. The slight smile on her face showed that she clearly enjoyed watching her cousin writhe on the hook. "That's great, Chloe. Because that's the first step to getting some serious psychiatric help."

"All right, guys, c'mon," Clark said, as he came over to them. "You've had your fun. Now leave Chloe alone."

"You're taking this very well, Smallville," Lois told him. "Considering that she's stalking you."

"That's because I'm used to it by now," Clark said, deadpan.

Chloe, feeling her cheeks blush with embarrassment, just shook her head and stormed out of the office.

"Chloe, c'mon!" Clark called after her. "We were just kidding!"

"That's nice," Chloe said with a wave over her shoulder, as she kept walking. "Have fun! Talk to you later, Clark."

Chloe let out a heavy sigh as she got back on the monorail at the station downstairs. She knew full well that they were all just kidding her--with the exception of Jimmy, who was no doubt getting his sweet revenge, the little creep--but Chloe couldn't very well speak to Clark about a Superman matter with Lois standing right there. If nothing else, that was one trump card that Chloe held over her know-it-all cousin--the fact that she knew Clark was Superman and Lois didn't.

Besides, Chloe had been genuinely embarrassed because…well, let's face it, she actually _had_ been spying on Clark like a lovesick schoolgirl.

'Snap out of it, Sullivan,' Chloe told herself. 'Stay focused on the mission. Besides, it's been pretty obvious lately that Clark's only got eyes for--'

Chloe was startled out of her reverie when she noticed a very familiar looking woman that was seated a couple of rows ahead of her. The woman was stocky, with spiky blonde hair, and sat with the attitude that she owned the monorail.

'Mercy Graves?!' Chloe thought with shock. What were the odds that Lex Luthor's right hand woman would be riding the very same monorail car that she was? Chloe sunk lower in her seat as she wondered if Mercy had seen her board the car earlier. But a more important question was, where was Mercy going right now?

The answer to that question came when the monorail stopped at the Metropolis Shopping Plaza, where Graves got up and left the car. Chloe, who had buried her nose in her copy of the Daily Planet in an effort to hide herself from Graves, quickly got up and followed the woman.

'What's she doing here?' Chloe wondered, as she shadowed Graves through the shopping mall. 'Is she meeting somebody?'

When Graves entered the Walburns department store, Chloe was close behind her. Chloe paused every now and then, as she pretended to look at an item or two--in an attempt to appear as if she were just another shopper--while she still kept a careful eye on Graves.

She watched as Graves made a beeline to the back of the store, and then followed her. Graves was heading for the lingerie section--could she be meeting someone back there?

'I'll find out in a minute,' Chloe thought, as she spotted Graves, who was looking through lingerie. Then Chloe's mouth fell open in shock when she realized that Graves wasn't meeting anybody after all. Mercy Graves, ice-cold blooded assassin, was actually shopping for underwear!

'Um, well, I guess even bad guys have to shop for the basics,' Chloe thought, as she settled in beside a mannequin for a long stake out. She watched with a frown as Graves picked out a frilly, lacey number. As hard as Chloe tried, she just couldn't image Graves wearing that outfit. Then she tried to imagine who Graves would trying to impress in that get-up.

'Wonder if it's Lex,' Chloe thought. Then she visibly shuddered at the mental image of Lex and Mercy having wild sex. 'Ugh! Stay focused, Chloe….'

After paying, Graves left the lingerie department--but instead of heading back towards the front of the store, where the monorail was, Chloe was surprised to see that Graves now walked in the opposite direction.

'She's not taking the monorail back?' Chloe thought, as she discreetly followed. 'Maybe she's going to a meeting with somebody right now.'

Graves left the store through a side entrance, and when Chloe went through a few seconds later, she saw that it led to an alleyway in between the stores at the mall.

Chloe glanced around in puzzlement, but all she saw were garbage cans and a container that held folded up cardboard boxes in a dead end. There were doors leading back to the mall at the opposite end of the alley, but Mercy couldn't have gotten back down there so soon without--

"Well, look who it is," a familiar female voice said.

Chloe spun around and saw Mercy had stepped out from behind the cardboard box containers. Mercy aimed a lethal-looking gun right at Chloe. It wasn't a regular gun that shot bullets, but some kind of a ray gun that looked like it was straight out of a science fiction film.

"Hello, Mercy!" Chloe said, trying her best to act natural. "What a surprise! You just here picking up a few things, too?"

"Just picking up some goodies for the bedroom," Mercy replied. "As well as taking out the trash…."

With that, the gun began to hum as the barrel--which was pointed straight at Chloe's face--glowed an ominous red.

"Wait, just wait," Chloe said, as she held up her hands. "There's been a big mistake, here. Now, I don't know what you think--"

"Did _you_ seriously think that we didn't know about your stupid little foundation?" Mercy asked. "I mean, Lex Watch? Come on, Chloe--you and Lana couldn't have thought up a better name than that?"

"Um, you have any better ideas?" Chloe nervously asked.

"You know what I think? I think Lex Watch is about to lose one of its members," Mercy coldly said. "Right now."

Chloe stared in terror as the ray gun, now fully charged, glowed almost as bright as the sun. Chloe wondered with dread if this would be the very last thing she would ever see.

**To Be Concluded....**


	2. Chapter 2

_My thanks to Chlollie, for her review of the first chapter!_

**The Adventures of Chloe Sullivan**

**"Just Another Day...."**

**Chapter Two**

"If you worship anybody, or anything," Mercy Graves taunted, "you should start saying your prayers right about now, Sullivan. Because you'll be meeting your divine deity very soon."

Chloe could only helplessly stare into the ray gun as it pulsated with what looked like a lethal dose of energy--which was aimed right at her face. All Mercy had to do now was pull the trigger, and….

The side door of Walburns department door flew open, and a little boy marched into the alleyway. "Come on, mommy!" he called over his shoulder. "It'll be fun to go down this way!"

Mercy, caught off guard, spun around and aimed the weapon right at the boy, who stood fearfully with his mother in the doorway.

"NO!" Chloe grabbed the gun and tried to wrestle it out of Mercy's hands. When that didn't work--Mercy had a vise-like grip on the weapon--Chloe did the next best thing.

Still grappling with the weapon, Chloe kicked Mercy in the shin--and when the taller woman buckled in pain, Chloe pulled Mercy's hands to the side, so that the gun was now aimed at the container filled with cardboard boxes.

"GET BACK INSIDE!" Chloe called to the woman and her young son. "Before she pulls the--"

Mercy pulled the trigger, which set loose a crimson ray of death that fired upon the cardboard container, instantly disintegrating it with a powerful explosion. The force of the explosion knocked Chloe back against the wall, where she slid down to the ground in a daze.

She was vaguely aware of flaming bits of cardboard raining down around her, and thought, 'Well, that's one way to recycle….'

When she felt a hand on her arm, Chloe, still dazed, glanced up to see a security guard was trying to help her to her feet. She allowed him to help her into a standing position. But before she could thank him, Chloe frowned when he began to pull her arms behind her back. Then her eyes grew wide when she felt a pair of handcuffs being slipped onto her wrists.

"Hey, what's going on?!" Chloe demanded.

"Is she the one?" a second security guard asked the woman and her young son.

"Yeah, that's her!" the boy said, as he excitedly pointed at Chloe. "She blew up the cardboard bin! Right, mommy?"

"Well, it happened so fast," the woman replied, as she stared with uncertainty at Chloe. "But the woman who shot the bin had blond hair, and she _does_ have blond hair…."

"It wasn't me! It was the other blonde!" Chloe said, as she desperately glanced around the alleyway. There was no sign of Mercy. "Where _is _she, anyway?"

"A likely story," the security who cuffed her said. "Come on, let's go!"

Chloe was taken back into the store, where she was brought to the security office. She was made to sit in a chair, still cuffed, while the security guards went through her personal effects, looking for any further weapons. After several minutes of this indignity, the guards paused when the door opened.

Inspector Dan Turpin of the Metropolis Police Special Crimes Unit entered the room, and when he saw Chloe seated with her arms cuffed behind her, he smiled. "Well, well, if it isn't my favorite private investigator, Chloe Sullivan."

'Oh jeez,' Chloe thought with annoyance. 'Of the thousands of police officers currently serving on the Metropolis Police Force, why'd it have to be 'Terrible' Dan Turpin who had to answer this call?'

"Nice to see you, too, Inspector," she said with a sigh. "I'd shake your hand, but, as you can see…."

"She's been accused of blowing up a cardboard container in the alleyway," one of the guards informed him. "We checked her for weapons, but found none. We suspect she may be a meta-human."

Chloe shook her head. She was indeed a meta-human, but her powers involved healing people, not blowing up stuff. "It wasn't me, Inspector. It was Mercy Graves who shot that container."

Turpin's bushy eyebrows shot up. "Lex Luthor's personal assistant blew away a cardboard container in the alleyway of Walburns? Did you see her do this?"

"She was trying to shoot me! Then, when that little boy and his mom stumbled onto us, she almost shot _them_--until I pulled the gun away. That was when she shot the container. Look, if you don't believe me, Inspector Turpin, just check the surveillance cameras."

"I would, Ms. Sullivan. But you happened to chose the one alleyway in Metropolis for your death match with Ms. Graves that isn't covered by security cameras. However," he added, "I still believe you. Gentlemen, please remove the handcuffs from this woman."

When they hesitated, Turpin said, "Don't worry, boys, I'll vouch personally for Mr. Sullivan. She's not your suspect. You can set her free."

"Aw, Inspector," Chloe said, touched. She stood up and had the handcuffs removed. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me, yet," he told her. "We have no proof whatsoever that Mercy Graves assaulted you in that alleyway. It's only your word against hers."

"What about the woman and the little boy?" Chloe asked. "They saw me fighting with Graves."

When Turpin cast a questioning gaze at the security guards, they merely shrugged. "They're gone," one of them said. "We don't know where they went."

"I assume you got their personal information?" Turpin asked.

After sharing a glance at each other, the security guards merely shrugged again. "Uh, no," the other guard said sheepishly.

'Oh great,' Chloe thought, annoyed. 'Mom and her little tyke stayed around just long enough to get me in trouble, but when I need their help, they make themselves scarce! And Starsky and Hutch here were too busy busting me to get their contact info!'

Turpin glanced at Chloe expectantly. "You can still press charges of assault against Graves, if you want…."

"Why bother?" Chloe muttered. "She recently beat a kidnap/murder charge in Gotham City. What chance will I have pressing an assault charge against her with no evidence? If it's all right with you, Inspector, I'd like to just leave."

He nodded. "C'mon, I'll walk you out."

As he escorted her out of the security office, Chloe said, "Thank you again for vouching for me like that, Inspector. I really appreciate it."

Turpin waved it off. "Think nothing of it. You're a major pain in my neck, Ms. Sullivan. But you're no terrorist."

"Um, thank you," Chloe said, with a slight frown. "I think…."

Once they emerged back in the mall, Chloe nodded at him and said, "Well, I took the monorail here. And that's how I'm leaving. Thanks again, Inspector."

Turpin regarded her quietly for a moment. "For what it's worth, Ms. Sullivan, I'm not a very big fan of Lex Luthor, either. But the only way we're gonna bring somebody like that down is with a lot of hard evidence."

"That's exactly what Lana and I are trying to find, Inspector. Evidence of Luthor's guilt."

"I know. Your heart is in the right place. But if you keep laying your life on the line like this, your luck is bound to run out. If you must pursue this, Ms. Sullivan, then please be very careful. And don't hesitate to call the police immediately if you should find something concrete next time."

As Chloe got back on the monorail, she couldn't help but feel that she had just won a small victory. She may have just lost another round with Mercy, but she had also just picked up a new ally in Dan Turpin.

'Maybe he was an ally all along,' Chloe thought, as she gazed out the window of the monorail car. 'I just never realized it until now.'

When she saw the monorail was headed over the industrial section of Metropolis, Chloe recalled what Turpin said about getting hard evidence against Luthor. 'That's something I can try getting right now….'

She got off the monorail at the next stop, and then descended the steps to the street level. Chloe rechecked the note containing the address of the warehouse with the suspicious activity that Lana gave her. According to this, it should be right down the street, here.

Lana's frantic scribble said that the entire row-C of warehouses in this sector were owned by Luthor. But it was warehouse 4C where the energy signature had been picked up by the SCU helicopter. Chloe noted that warehouse 4C didn't look any different than the others--at least on the outside. All the warehouses in this section looked to be nothing more than large-scale, unmanned self storage spaces.

'Let's see what we can see inside,' Chloe thought, as she strode up to the door of C4. As she figured, it was locked. A walk around the perimeter showed her that the place was pretty secure. But a glance at C5 next door proved to be very interesting.

There was a row of windows about a story tall on the sides of the warehouses. And Chloe saw that, on the C5 warehouse, one of the windows was smashed in--and there were a collection of crates and boxes piled up right underneath the window, as if to provide access through it.

'The energy signature was detected in C4, so Luthor moves his experiment next door--to C5,' Chloe thought. 'That makes sense. But what's with the broken window? If Luthor also owns C5, why should he break into it? Unless somebody else did.'

After carefully testing to see if it would hold her weight, Chloe climbed up the pile of crates and then peered through the broken window. The place was darkened within, but thanks to the outside light that shone in through the windows, Chloe could see a vast collection of crates and boxes--along with something that sat against the back wall of the warehouse.

It was too far away, and too dark, for Chloe to make out--but from what little she could see, it appeared to be a giant head that sat atop of an equally giant body.

'Is Luthor building a robot?!' Chloe wondered, stunned. 'After the killer robot fiasco that the Riddler unleashed in Gotham City a year ago, you'd think Lex would know better than to fool with that kind of stuff….'

Still, it was hard for her to see exactly what the thing was from this vantage point. Chloe would just have to go inside. But before she did, she pulled out her cell phone and called Lana. She smiled when she got Lana's answering service.

"It's me, Chloe," she whispered into the phone. "I hope the fact that you're not answering means you're asleep. If so, good for you. I'm at the warehouse now, and it's 10:15 am. I think I found something interesting in warehouse C5. I'm gonna go check it out. If you don't hear back from me within a half hour of this call, then send in the Marines."

She placed the cell back in her jacket pocket, then slipped through the broken window. Chloe was pleased to see another collection of crates had been piled up on the other side. She climbed down and pulled out her trusty palm-sized flashlight--and what she saw amazed her.

Toys.

The entire warehouse was filled with toys of various sizes, shapes and design. There were a series of cute little dog toys, and toy tanks and what looked like a remote controlled flying saucer. And they weren't in storage, but either on display, or laying around half assembled. Chloe also noted that many of the LexCorp boxes had been torn open; they appeared to have been raided of their electronic components, which were being used in the manufacture of the various toys.

Chloe walked over to the large figure she'd seen from the window--and sure enough, it was a giant robot. It sat with its back up against the wall, it's head was titled to one side--almost as if it looked bored, as though waiting for something to happen.

'What the hell is Luthor up to?' Chloe wondered. 'What's he building all these toys for?'

"Hello little girl," a creepy man-child voice called out from the darkness. "Have you come to play with me?"

Chloe staggered back in fear, as she brought her flashlight to bear on the owner of that chilling, soulless voice. It was a short, lean figure who was neatly dressed in a bizarrely cartoonish interpretation of a little boy's clothing. But what was especially unnerving was the large mask that covered his entire head. It was the mask of a little boy whose face was frozen in a humorless, lifeless grin.

"I know your name," the ghastly figure said, in a sing-song manner. "I heard you say it when you were on the phone. It's Chloe, isn't it? Would you like to know _my_ name, Chloe?"

'Not really,' Chloe thought, as she backed away anxiously from this little psychopath. But she saw that he blocked the only way out. Perhaps if she tried to reason with him. "Um…sure…w-what's your name?"

"My name is Toyman," he said proudly.

Although he had a man's voice, he still spoke in the overly simplified manner of a very young boy--which was just one of many things about the guy that seriously unsettled Chloe. "I-I see," she said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "H-How long h-have…um…how long have you been working for Lex Luthor, Toyman?"

"Lex Luthor!" Toyman said, as if that was the funniest thing he'd heard all day. "Oh, no! I don't work for Lex Luthor! That guy's a doody head!"

Chloe caught herself nodding in agreement. "You know, I really have no argument with you there, Toyman."

"Oh yes!" Toyman said, as he nodded his fake head. "Lex Luthor will be the second one I kill, right after I kill Superman."

"Kill…Superman?" Chloe repeated in wide-eyed horror. "Why would you want to do that?"

Toyman pressed a button on a remote in his hand, and the little toy dogs all came to life. They hopped around her on the floor, barked, and wagged their tails. Any other time, Chloe would have thought this to be a cute scene--but now, it just made her even more afraid than she already was.

"Are you a doody head, too, Chloe?" Toyman asked. "I sure hope not. Because I like you!"

"Um, t-that's really great!" Chloe said, as she forced a smile. She took a tentative step backwards from him, but her foot bumped into one of the little toy dogs, who yipped up at her, as if angry.

"Careful, Chloe!" Toyman cried. "You wouldn't want to get these little doggies mad at you! Because they can get very mean!"

With that, the eyes of all the little toy dogs glowed a scarlet red as they all growled at Chloe, baring razor-sharp fangs. Chloe let out a horrified cry as the toy dog that she accidentally bumped into abruptly bit down on the cuff of her pants leg. She frantically shook her foot, which knocked the faux animal off. A bite-sized chunk of fabric was missing from her pants leg--but Chloe realized that it could just have easily been a chunk of her foot.

"That wasn't very nice, Chloe," Toyman said in a dangerous tone. "It looks like my little doggies will just have to teach you some manners. Go fetch the bad girl, doggies!"

Chloe let out a terrified shriek as the collective of little toy dogs--all with their eyes now ablaze with the demonic reddish glow--went charging straight at her.

Chloe turned and ran wildly into the darkness, not knowing what was just beyond her--and not really caring. She needed to put as much distance between herself and this insane little maniac as possible.

She stopped short when a large figure emerged from the dimness. It was the massive robot, which was still slumped up against the wall. As the collective barking got louder behind her, Chloe quickly glanced around for another way out, but she realized with growing horror--as she saw twin walls of crates on either side of her--that she had just ran into a dead end.

Then she was stunned to see the robot's eyes light up, as its head tilted forward. It looked oddly as if the thing was waking up. Then Chloe's brief fascination was quickly replaced with terror when the robot reached out for her with its metal claws.

Chloe instinctively took a step backwards from the robot--only to realize that she was moving towards the charging army of robotic dogs, which were now at her back.

"Oh my God," Chloe cried, as she realized that she was completely trapped by the Toyman's demented creations.

**To Be concluded next time (really!).... **

_What can I say, this story grew a little longer than when I first plotted it. :-) _


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you, Chlollie, for your kind words. And my thanks also to those who placed this story on their alerts/favorite lists. _

**The Adventures of Chloe Sullivan**

**"Just Another Day...."**

**Chapter Three**

"That's it, Brutus!" Toyman cheered. "Teach her a lesson!"

Chloe kept backing away from the giant metal robot as it loomed over her, its claws hovered right over her head. To make matters worse, Chloe heard the army of mechanical dogs grow louder from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the dogs were all still charging right at her--just as the robot began to bring its claws down to grab her.

"Oh jeez!" Chloe cried, as she abruptly leapt forward--towards the robot--in a panic. She crouched down just as she heard a metallic bashing sound from behind her.

She glanced around and saw that the robot had slammed its claws together right where she had stood. Brutus, the giant robot, swiveled its massive head around in an effort to see where Chloe had gone. Little did the big mechanical monster realize that she was right underneath him.

The mechanical dogs, still within a heated frenzy, now zealously charged at the robot. As Brutus swiped and swatted the toy dogs into little piles of broken gears, Chloe took this moment to run out from under his flailing arms. She took cover underneath a folding table that had been set up beside the wall of boxes.

"NOOOO!" Toyman screamed, as he ran towards Brutus. "STOP! STOP!"

But the large robot had by now finished off the remnants of the toy dogs--one of which still barked defiantly at him, even though the back half of its body had been ripped off.

Chloe watched as Toyman pressed some buttons on the remote control, and Brutus abruptly quieted down. Then her cell phone began to vibrate, and she quickly answered it.

"Hello?" she said in a hushed whisper.

"Chloe!" Lana said cheerily. "How's it going? Listen, I took your advice and just had a nap. And, boy, I feel so much bet--"

"Lana, shut up," Chloe frantically whispered into the phone. "Those power readings you got from the warehouse…they weren't from Luthor, but from some new villain called the Toyman."

"Really? How did you find this out?"

"Because I'm hiding in fear for my life from him right now!" Chloe said, sotto voce.

Suddenly, Chloe's cover was blown when the table was pulled away from above her. She found herself staring up into Brutus' cold, gleaming face.

"There she is, Brutus!" Toyman said triumphantly. "There's the naughty girl who broke my toys! Now you go and teach her a lesson in manners!"

Chloe let out a scream as Brutus clenched one of his large metal hands into a fist. She ducked to the floor, dropping her cell phone, as the metal monstrosity smashed his fist through the wall of boxes that was behind her.

When Brutus pulled his fist back, Chloe saw that he had made a large hole in the wall of crates for her.

"Thanks!" Chloe called as she leapt through the hole. She landed roughly on the ground of the isle next door--but then Chloe, not wanting to waste any time--got to her feet and began running towards the end of the isle of boxes. The exit was down in that direction, and Chloe hoped she could reach it before--

"Oh God," she muttered dismally, once she saw Brutus had already beat her to the exit. Being so large, all it took for him was just five of his great strides, and he was already there, blocking the exit as he waited for her.

Chloe, feeling exhausted, glanced about for another exit out of here--but all she saw was the Toyman as he joyfully skipped over to her.

"This is so much fun!" he exclaimed. "Now let's see Brutus pound you into the ground!"

Chloe shook her head as she started to back away--yet she realized, with a sinking feeling, that no matter how far she ran, she would never outrun this metal monstrosity. Brutus loomed over her, one fist raised up directly over where Chloe stood.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Chloe closed her eyes and hoped the end would not be too painful. When she heard a loud crashing sound, Chloe opened her eyes and saw a wonderful sight.

Superman had burst in straight through the roof, and now he strained mightily as he held back Brutus' fist in midair. Chloe figured that Lana--bless her--must have called Clark right after her call with Chloe got interrupted. Both superhuman and robot paused as they strained against each other for a few seconds, looking like a bizarre arm wrestling match--until Brutus lost.

Superman ripped off the robot's arm and flung it to the ground, where it devastated a pile of crates. Then he flew straight into Brutus' chest, using his own body as a battering ram that knocked the robot into another pile of crates, shattering them.

'Hope Luthor has plenty of insurance,' Chloe thought, as she watched the battle unfold, destroying most of the property within the warehouse.

"No fair, Superman!" Toyman shouted. "If you're gonna fight dirty, then so will I!"

He flipped a switch on the remote, and a rectangular section on Brutus' chest suddenly opened up, revealing a glowing green crystal.

"Oh no!" Chloe cried, as she watched Superman wince in pain at the sight of the kryptonite.

When Superman faltered, Brutus used that moment to slam him into the ground with his remaining arm.

Chloe watched, horrified, as Brutus then kicked Superman into another pile of boxes, as if the Man Of Steel was nothing more than a football.

"SCORE!" Toyman cried with joy, waving one hand.

Chloe realized he held the remote that controlled Brutus was in his other hand. She was a short woman, but Toyman was even smaller than she was; so this shouldn't be too hard.

With a running leap, Chloe tackled Toyman, knocking both him and herself to the ground. Toyman let out a frustrated growl as Chloe grabbed the remote from him and then got to her feet.

Chloe quickly looked over the remote control, wondering how she could stop Brutus, until she saw a big button that read: 'OFF.' She pressed it, and Brutus halted in mid-step, with one foot hanging in the air. Chloe then smashed the remote by throwing it against the concrete floor. She made sure the pieces were unfixable by crushing them underfoot with her shoes.

Brutus continued to stand on one foot, until the unbalanced weight began to shift him forward. When he crashed face down on the floor, the section of his chest that contained the kryptonite was now hidden.

Chloe smiled when she saw Superman wearily get to his feet. It didn't take long for him to rebound once the kryptonite was removed.

Toyman stood with his hands balled into fist at his sides. "You are an evil little girl!" he snarled at Chloe.

"And you really need some psychiatric help," Chloe told him.

"No, _you're_ the one who's going to need help," Toyman said. "From a hospital!"

Chloe's stared in surprise when Toyman raised his hand and clicked on another remote. "Just how many of those things do you have, anyway?"

The top of a nearby crate flew off, and a giant jack-in-the-box popped up on a huge spring. Chloe stared in disbelief at the clownish-looking figure that bobbed up and down, waving its arms--until her eyes grew fearfully wide in shock at what she saw in the clown figure's hands.

It was a pair of machine guns.

The clownish jack-in-the-box figure smiled gaily as the automatic weapons sprayed bullets all over the warehouse. It bobbed and bounced merrily up and down on its spring as it swung towards Chloe's direction. And Chloe knew that, even if she ran, it still wouldn't make any difference.

Just as the jack-in-the-box took aim at her, a red and blue flash appeared, and a grateful Chloe was instantly swept off her feet and carried out of the warehouse.

Once outside, Superman placed her behind the front tire of a truck. "Stay right here," he told her. "Use the truck as cover. I've got some cleaning up to do."

He left in a blur, and Chloe cringed as she heard a riotous noise of explosions and more gunfire come from within the warehouse. And then there was a single loud crashing sound, which was followed by silence.

Superman came out of the warehouse alone. As he walked over to her, he said, "Looks like your little boyfriend used the melee to get away, Chloe."

"Oh, no!" Chloe said, waving her finger at him. "I may have been on some disastrous dates in my day, but Toyman was never one of them!"

Superman chuckled. "What was that guy's deal, anyway?"

"Suffering from a Peter Pan complex?" Chloe said with a shrug. "I don't know _what_ his problem was, but did you see some of the stuff he was making in there?"

Superman nodded grimly. "All toys that were positively lethal. If nothing else, you stopped him before he could get a chance to use them on the public."

Chloe stared at him, stunned. "Me?! I didn't stop him, Superman, you did."

"If it weren't for you coming here in the first place, Chloe, we never would have heard of Toyman--until it was too late. Besides, that robot with the kryptonite tiepin nearly had my number…until he tripped over his own feet. And I recall seeing you having something to do with that. Thanks."

Chloe blushed as Superman gave her arm an affectionate rub. That little gesture from the Man Of Steel almost made this wacky day worth it.

Well, almost….

Later, when the police showed up, Chloe had to put up with another meeting with Inspector Turpin, who arrived with Maggie Sawyer--Turpin's right hand woman and confidant in the SCU. Sawyer took one look at Chloe and muttered, "Once more, wherever there's chaos and mayhem in Metropolis, we find _you_ right in the middle of it."

"That's because she's fighting the good fight," Turpin said with a slight smile. "Ain't that right, Ms. Sullivan?"

Chloe smiled back at him. Apparently, she really _did_ pick up a new ally today. "That's right, Inspector."

Superman had to fly off, and Chloe wondered if he was actually worried about being missed at the Daily Planet. She knew Lois could be a real annoying snoop on her own.

A worried looking Lana showed up, and gave Chloe a tight hug. "Are you ok?"

"Just dandy," Chloe told her. "Superman showed up just in the nick of time."

"Yeah, well, he's not the only one," Lana said, with a disgusted look over her shoulder.

Chloe saw that she glared at Luthor, who got out of his limousine and was inspecting the damage to his warehouse. Mercy was with him; and she acted like she was the loyal chauffeur. If she noticed Chloe, whom she was involved with in a death struggle just a few hours ago, Mercy never acknowledged it.

"Luthor's probably here to give me the bill for the damages," Chloe said dismally.

After speaking briefly with the fire chief at the scene, as well as Inspector Turpin, Luthor came over to Chloe and Lana. "I heard about your little escapade here," he said to Chloe. "And I just wanted to make sure you were unharmed."

'My little escapade?' Chloe thought with a slight frown. "I'm fine, Lex. Thanks. Um, sorry about your warehouse."

He shook his head. "Nonsense. Whatever was destroyed can be replaced. This Toyman sounds pretty dangerous. I'm just glad to see you're all right."

"Toyman mentioned something about coming after you," Chloe added. "So for what it's worth, Lex, you should watch your back from now on."

"Thank you, Chloe," Lex said. He looked genuinely grateful. He then stared meaningfully at Lana for a moment, then said, "Good day, ladies."

He turned away and walked towards his limousine. Mercy held open the door for Luthor as he got inside the long black car.

When Lana shot Chloe an annoyed look, Chloe just shrugged. "What?! We want to bring him to justice, not see him get killed, right?"

"Yeah, you're right," Lana admitted with a sigh.

As Mercy walked around the limousine towards the driver's side, she glanced over at Chloe for the first time. With a sneer, Mercy said, "Hope you and I get the chance to 'go shopping' again very soon, Chloe…."

Chloe just stared after her, stunned, as Mercy got into the car and drove off. "Ok, now I really wouldn't mind seeing _her _spend some quality time with Toyman's little rabid mechanical doggies…."

Lana gave her a confused look. "Did something happen I don't know about?"

"Did something happen?!" Chloe sarcastically asked the sky. "Oh, well, now, let's see! After being made fun of by Lois, Jimmy and even Clark at the Daily Planet, I spot Mercy on the monorail, and tail her to a shopping mall, where I watch her buy lingerie. After that, she tries to kill me in an alleyway with a ray gun that's straight out of a Buck Rodgers serial. Then, I get arrested and treated like a terrorist for blowing up a container filled with cardboard! Inspector Turpin, of all people, vouches for me. When I leave on the monorail, I decide to check out the energy signature reported in the warehouse--but instead of finding any evidence on Luthor, I wind up discovering Toyman, a new super villain who's raiding Luthor's supplies! Toyman almost manages to kill me, and Superman, before making his escape. And now I've got both Mercy and Toyman out there, holding major grudges against me."

Chloe abruptly glanced at her watch. "And, to top it off, Lana, all of this takes place before lunchtime!"

Lana stared at her sympathetically. "So, in other words…this was just another day for you…huh, Chloe?"

Chloe angrily stared at Lana, whose mouth crept upwards into a smile. But Chloe soon found Lana's mood to be infectous; she just couldn't stay angry as a large grin spread across her own features.

"Yeah, I guess it _is _just another day for me," Chloe said with a laugh, as she affectionately hugged Lana. "Another day in my crazy life."

"C'mon, I'll buy you lunch," Lana said, as they walked over to her car. "But I hope you don't mind if we stop off at a toy store, first. I have to buy a birthday present for Reggie--he's the son of Margaret, my personal assistant."

"Uh, sure," Chloe said with a weary look. "But I hope you don't mind if I wait in the car. After today, I've _really_ had my fill of toys…."

**The End**


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